SOUTH ARABIA AND ADEN MAKES TWELVE WITH ITS STUPEFYING TEMPERATURES AND BLEAK 
TERRAIN, BRITAIN'S ADEN COLONY ON THE SOUTHWESTERN FRINGE OF THE ARABIAN 
PENINSULA IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S MOST UNATTRACTIVE PIECES OF REAL 
ESTATE . BUT IT HAS ITS VALUE NONETHELESS . BETWEEN SUEZ 
AND SINGAPORE, IT IS THE ONLY SUITABLE FUELING AND VICTUALING STATION 
FOR THE BRITISH NAVY, AND 8,000 TROOPS OF HER MAJESTY'S MIDDLE 
EAST COMMAND ARE STATIONED ON ITS 75 SQUARE MILES OF OVERHEATED 
ROCK . TO STRENGTHEN THE PRECIOUS LITTLE COLONY AGAINST THE COVETOUS 
DESIRES OF NEARBY YEMEN, THE BRITISH SINCE 1959 HAVE BEEN LINKING 
NEIGHBORING SULTANATES AND EMIRATES IN A NEW FEDERATION OF SOUTH ARABIA 
. ADEN WAS TO JOIN IN MARCH, BUT AN OUTBURST OF 
RIOTS SPARKED BY PRO-YEMEN LABOR LEADERS AND THE EMERGENCE OF AN 
EGYPTIAN BACKED NATIONALIST REGIME IN YEMEN ITSELF PERSUADED BRITAIN TO SPEED 
THINGS UP . LAST WEEK THE BRITISH MADE ADEN THE TWELFTH 
MEMBER OF THE FEDERATION, RETAINING CONTROL BUT VAGUELY PROMISING EVENTUAL INDEPENDENCE 
. ARAB NATIONALISTS WERE UNHAPPY . WHILE THE FEDERATION'S BLACK, YELLOW, 
GREEN AND BLUE FLAG WENT UP OVER GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS IN PLACE 
OF THE UNION JACK, ANTI-FEDERATION RESIDENTS RAISED MOURNING FLAGS INSTEAD . 
